Kelvin Mwangi was one of the most famous acts in Kenya’s comedy industry. Kelvin gained fame through his act as Shaniqwa.
He even got a top show at the Standard Media Group’s KTN. Money was rolling in and so did the good life.
However, his world came tumbling down when he was fired as the Life and Style co-host, the weekly show that aired on KTN on Fridays.
Losing his job meant that he had to readjust and reconfigure his budget, something that did not sit in well with his wife.
According to Kelvin, she was too used to the good life that Shaniqwa was providing and was not ready to settle for the broke life that Kelvin was about to set her up for.
“At the time after I was fired, my life was in shambles due to hard economic times as I couldn’t afford to pay rent and provide day-to-day basic needs for my wife and small child, Kevatin Khangi, “ he said in an edition of the Jeff Kuria Show which airs on YouTube.
Already behind in rent, house agents came knocking and began to sell off his house items, including his fridge, television, blenders and other electronics.
“Agents auctioned my stuff, fridge, blender, and TV, so I took my family back to the village,” he said. His wife started cheating on him. Kelvin said that his friends would send him pictures of his wife in very compromising situations.
“My wife would leave me and go out with another man. We had no money for food but I found she had Sh. 8,000 in her M-Pesa,” he said. Eventually, his wife decided to leave.
“We would get into fights and one day she decided to pack her bags and leave. She wasn’t there for me and my child. So this predicament made me fall into depression and I started drinking,” he said.
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Shaniqwa returned to Nairobi. As he fell into depression, radio presenter Jalang’o and comedian Henry Desagu whose real name is Ithagu Kibicho came to his aid.
“One day I fainted in the house as I had not eaten for three days. I decided to open up and texted Jalas (Jalango). I asked him to call me after his show,” he said.
He opened up to Jalang’o on his troubles. Jalang’o asked for his landlord’s number and paid rent for Kelvin for up to nine months as he struggled to gain his footing.
He then started doing comedy skits with Desagu and uploading content on YouTube. His formed wife heard about it and asked to reconcile. Kelvin agreed.
Two days after reconciling, she walked out again. He is now raising his kid alone, as he fights to get back on his feet financially and revive his comedy career.